AN ACT to permit certain high schools in onslow county to participate in a single conference.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑12(23) reads as rewritten:

(23)    Power to Adopt Eligibility Rules for Interscholastic Athletic Competition. – The State Board of Education shall adopt rules governing interscholastic athletic activities conducted by local boards of education, including eligibility for student participation. With regard to middle schools and high schools, the rules shall provide for the following:

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The State Board of Education may authorize a designated organization to apply and enforce the Board's rules governing participation in interscholastic athletic activities at the high school level. If the State Board of Education authorizes a designated organization to apply and enforce the Board's rules, that designated organization shall permit the creation of a conference composed solely of qualifying high schools to be afforded all rights and privileges granted to other conferences within that designated organization if all of the following criteria are met:

1.         There are at least six qualifying high schools within a geographic region. For purposes of this subdivision, a qualifying high school is a high school with an average daily membership in the 2019‑2020 school year of 800 students or more.

2.         The conference consists of only qualifying high schools.

3.         The conference is open to all qualifying high schools in the geographic region.

4.         Participation in the conference is optional.

SECTION 2.  A conference may be created pursuant to G.S. 115C‑12(23), as amended by this act, provided any designated organization authorized by the State Board of Education under G.S. 115C‑12(23) is notified at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the 2021‑2022 school year. Schools joining a conference by that date may withdraw, without penalty, from any scheduling contracts previously entered into for the 2021‑2022 season.

SECTION 3.  This act applies only to Onslow County.

SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.